Calcium/phospholipid-dependent protein kinases in rat sertoli cells: Regulation of androgen receptor messenger ribonucleic acid

Abstract

The possibility that Sertoli cell responses to testosterone are modulated by the calcium/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C; PKC) was examined in rat Sertoli cells in culture. Both soluble and particulate cell fractions showed low constitutive phosphotransferase activity. Incubation with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13- acetate (TPA; 10-7 M) was associated with a transient induction in both cell fractions of calcium/phosphatidylserine-dependent PKC activity, which was elevated from 15 min to 1 h. Consistent with this, mRNAs for the calcium/phospholipid-dependent isomeric forms of PKC (α, β, and γ) were detected. The expression levels of mRNAs for PKCα and PKCβ were also up- regulated (2.5- to 3-fold) by TPA (10-7 M), but these effects were much slower (peaking after 12 h) than those on phosphotransferase activity. In the presence of TPA (10-7 M), expression of androgen receptor (AR) mRNA showed a transient time-dependent down-regulation (~70%), in which the nadir was reached after 6 h and baseline expression was again obtained after 12 h. The regulatory effect of PKC activation on AR mRNA was confirmed by the absence of response to a biologically inactive phorbol ester. A concentration- dependent decrease (half-maximal effect at ~10-8 M TPA) of AR mRNA was also observed. These data suggest that Sertoli cell responses to testosterone may be inhibited by a transiently active PKC with a wide intracellular distribution.